UPDATES

*NEW* COVID-19 Testing Criteria and Specimen Collection Process   Please review CDC guidelines and State of Hawaii Department of Health requirements for COVID-19 testing attached. Clinical Labs of Hawaii specimen collection guidelines are also included if testing is appropriate. Contact CLH Account Services Representative Jacqueline Kopie at 808-987-7439 if you need testing supplies.

State of Hawaii DOH Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates   State and county agencies are intensifying their preparations and emphasize the following preventative actions:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick

  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

  • Stay home when you are sick

  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash

  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

Medical updates from DOH can be accessed here or from Center for Disease Control and Prevention here.

*NEW* Welcome New Members   The following providers were accepted as new members:

  • Anna Casillas, APRN, Family Practice

  • Susan Cauley, MD, Family Practice

  • Alin Ledford, MD, Family Practice

  • Peter Matsuura, MD, Orthopedic Surgery

  • Charles Pua‘a, MD, General Practice

*NEW* EHI Medical Director   Dr. Craig Shikuma was appointed as the IPA’s medical director to support establishment of the IPA’s eCare Continuing Care Clinic and provide the EHI office with clinical consultation and strategic advice.

*NEW* Board of Directors Nominations   Nominations for open Board positions are now closed. EHI’s Executive Committee will review nominations at its meeting in early April and approve the election slate at that time. Please let Jo at jvitales@ehiipa.com know if you are unable to attend the Annual Meeting on April 29 and would like an absentee ballot. You can ask RSVP yes or no on the EVITE here.

EHI Seeking Administrative Assistant   The IPA is seeking to hire a full-time administrative assistant. This is an entry-level position to support programs, projects and ongoing operations. Must have excellent computer skills, pleasant and positive attitude, and love to work hard. Some evening and weekend hours may be required and must be available on a regular basis during standard working hours (Monday-Friday). If you know of anyone who is interested, please have them send a cover letter and resume to Jo at jvitales@ehiipa.com.

Medicare Fee-For-Service Chronic Care Management (CCM) Program   In 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began paying separately under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for chronic care management services furnished to eligible Medicare patients with 2 or more chronic conditions. In 2019, CMS updated their requirements which includes:

  • Structured recording of patient health information

  • Maintaining a comprehensive electronic care plan

  • Managing transitions of care and other care management services

  • Coordinating and sharing patient health information timely within and outside the practice

  • 24/7 patient access to care and health information

Details are available from CMS’ MLN Network and can be accessed here.

CCM service codes provides payment within the Medicare Fee-For-Service program only and are NOT allowed as duplicative payments to CPC+ participants.

Please email Kahea Wakinekona by Friday March 6 at kwakinekona@ehiipa.com if you are interested in EHI offering a repeat workshop on Medicare’s FFS CCM program. Prior workshop slides available (here and here) for reference.

*NEW* Hilo Heart Walk Fundraising – Garage Sale & T-Shirt    THANK YOU to all the providers and staff who’ve donated items to the garage sale! The IPA is a proud sponsor of this year’s Hilo Heart Walk on March 28, 2020 to raise funds, promote awareness of heart disease, and support programs benefiting patients. EHI will hold a garage sale in Hilo this Saturday, March 7, from 7AM-12PM on Lei Street between Mohouli and Lanihuli – please come by and donate to a good cause. View the garage sale listing on Craigslist here.

Other ways to support this effort:

  • Show team spirit by donating money or joining our team here!

  • BONUS: Help provide SBIRT screens at the Hilo Heart Walk event for a free shirt and an honorarium

  • If you are interested in donating, walking, and/or helping in any way, please contact Sara at skobayashi@ehiipa.com.

Mahalo to the following providers/clinics who have participated so far:

Dr. Brenda Camacho

Dr. Pradeepta Chowdhury

Dr. Alan DeSilva

The Family Medicine Center

Hawaii Island Healthcare, Inc.

Lynda Hirakami DNP

Dr. Craig Kadooka (retired)

Dr. Roy Koga

Dr. Craig Shikuma

CMS’s Clinical Decisions Support Mechanism (CDSM) and Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC)   Part 1 reviews what CDSM is (watch here). Part 2 reviews how to register for CDSM (watch here). Part 3 reviews how to use it (watch here). If you have any questions, please contact Kahea at kwakinekona@ehiipa.com.

*NEW* Wellness Tip of the Month   Electronic health records, stressed-out colleagues, and more can overwhelm even the most resilient physicians. This blog published by the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) on Oct. 23, 2019, outlines strategies for how to reduce stress by identifying ten top stress management activities that you can start today. We will be publishing one tip per month in the Weekly Alert to be incorporated into your daily habits. Here is tip #5:

Exercise, eat well, get enough sleep: Stressed-out physicians often neglect their own health, so keeping a regular exercise schedule, eating a well-balanced diet, and getting enough sleep at night are of the utmost importance in the battle against burnout.

HMSA PAYMENT TRANSFORMATION

*NEW* HMSA HEDIS 2020 Reporting   HMSA is submitting Coreo’s Supplemental Data feed as a data source for HEDIS 2020. Providers affected have already received a fax from HMSA listing the names of patients requiring medical record documentation submission by 3/10/20. Tiffany Pa will be following up with those affected. If you have any questions, please contact her at 808-630-5020.

eClinicalWorks and COREO Interface   EHI has been exploring the possibility of interfacing eClinicalWorks EHR information with HMSA COREO for seamless reporting. The goal is to significantly reduce the administrative burden of checking COREO, avoid reporting delays and “chasing” of claims information and reduce supplemental data entry. We would like to see if there is interest enough to “pitch” a proposal to HMSA to allocate resources to do this. We will have a short presentation followed by a demo by eClinicalWorks Healow Insights staff. eClinicalWorks has implemented this with other Blue Cross/Blue Shield affiliates in other parts of the country as well as with UnitedHealthcare and Humana in selected markets. Please send one provider and one Coreo “Superuser” from your office to attend this meeting on Tuesday, March 17, 12:00-1:00 PM at the EHI IPA office. eCW Clinics will be sent a separate EVITE via email.

HMSA QUALITY PERFORMANCE

Support to Clinics   Please contact Jo Vitales at jvitales@ehiipa.com if you are interested in receiving help from the IPA to meet your engagement and quality performance requirements.

EVENTS

*NEW* Care and Choices at the End of Life: A Discussion on Hawai‘i’s ‘Our Care, Our Choice’ Act (Update) – Thursday, March 12, 11:30 AM-1:30 PM   Join us for a lunch presentation by Dr. David Grube, Medical Director for Compassion & Choices, at ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center. RSVP by March 10. Please look for an EVITE that was sent directly to your email – write the names of all staff attending in the comment section if you are RSVP-ing for them. If you would like to be added to the invite list, please let Jo know at jvitales@ehiipa.com. Approved for 1.5 AAFP Prescribed credits.

  • This event has been approved for MFT CEUs through Hawaiian Island Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (HIAMFT)

  • Sponsors for this event include: Hawai‘i State Department of Health, Compassion & Choices, HIAMFT, and Community First

Annual General Membership Meeting – Wednesday, April 29, 5:30 PM   Invitations to the Annual Meeting were sent by mail. Please respond if you plan to attend or if you cannot attend and would like an absentee ballot to cast your vote. Those who haven’t will be sent an EVITE – please look in your email and respond there.

Walk with a Doc – Lili‘uokalani Gardens Park – Dr. Craig Kadooka – Every Sunday, WWAD meets at the park across the street from Hilo Bay Café. Walkers gather at 8:00 AM to hear a short healthcare talk, followed by stretching and then walking at your own pace. Anyone is welcome to participate.

PROVIDER RESOURCES

  • *NEW* Hilo Medical Center CME Conference SAVE THE DATE – Saturday, October 17, 2020 at the Grand Naniloa Hotel. For more information, contact HMC’s CME program coordinator, Janice Fagafa at jfagafa@hhsc.org or call 808-932-3176. Flyer attached.

  • BRIGHT GREEN POLST FORMS – If your office would like “bright” green POLST forms for your office, please email jbontuyan@ehiipa.com.

  • HIPAA Online Training – EHI IPA offers online training as a membership benefit for $20 per person. The certification received after successful completion is effective for 2 years. If you are interested, please complete the attached form and fax to 808-935-4472 or email to Jo at jvitales@ehiipa.com and send a check to East Hawaii IPA, 670 Ponahawai St., Ste. 117, Hilo, HI 96720.

  • Healthcare Source HR Screening Tool Available for Members – EHI offers member offices use of a complimentary employee screening tool. The tool helps assess whether potential new hires are the right fit for your office! The tool rates candidates numerically by job performance, retention and service excellence. It also customizes key questions for face-to-face interviews. This program has been used successfully by hundreds of healthcare organizations. Candidates are sent a link to the assessment with results forwarded to a designated office email address. Please email Jo at jvitales@ehiipa.com if you are interested in learning more about this tool.

  • American Heart Association FREE CME Webinars – View list of activities here. Type in “CME” in the Keyword search box and register for free.

PATIENT RESOURCES

  • Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi: Ola Hou i Ka Hula Hypertension Class – Wednesdays starting February 5 to April 29, 5:00-6:30 p.m. at Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi office, 1438 Ave., Hilo. Flyer attached.

  • Refer Patients to Complete Their Advanced Health Care Directive at ADRC – 2020 dates attached.

  • KTA Diabetes Self-Management Education – KTA will begin another round of Diabetes Self-Management Education classes at the East Hawaii IPA office. Please use the attached REFERRAL FORM. Please see flyer attached and refer your patients to this valuable resource!

  • Hilo Medical Center Diabetes Support Group – Every first Tuesday of the month, 4:00 PM. Katie Seaton, who has her bachelor’s in dietetics and is a current intern at HMC in the process of completing her master’s degree, will be providing recipes to support diabetes management. Samples will be provided. Contact Colleen Talich at ctalich@hhsc.org or 808-932-3034 with any questions.

  • Halau Mauli‘Ola Medical Nutrition Program – Stacy Haumea is relocating to 83 Maika‘i St., Hilo, for appointments Mon/Tue/Weds. She will continue to see patients with Hui Mālama on Thurs/Fri weekly. Flyer attached. NEW referral form attached.

  • Individual Nutrition Counseling Referral for Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi (HMONO) – Refer your patients to nutrition counseling with Stacy Haumea at HMONO using their referral form (here). Under the “Referred to” section, select HMONO Family Medicine Clinic.

  • Mountain-Pacific Quality Health – CARDIAC HEART ATTACK SYMPTOMS. Flyer attached. Let us know if you’d like the IPA to print out copies for your office by calling 808-797-3113.

  • Mountain-Pacific Quality Health: New Patient Tool for Heart Health – Check the MPQH website for their heart health calendar. These are free for patients and can start anytime of the year and includes weight logs and health tips. These offer a fun and easy way for patients to monitor their weight. A calendar example (scroll to the bottom for the example) and order form can be found here.

  • Beacon Health – PCP Referral for Behavioral Health Support – Beacon Health offers behavioral health services for HMSA patients. Attached is the referral form (here), the overview of services (here), and the WHO-5 Well-Being index tool (here).